Exit polls show Mamata as winner in Bengal

Barring West Bengal, where Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress is predicted as the clear winner, the exit polls do not draw a conclusive picture of the election results in other places.

While, two exit polls show that the AIADMK-led alliance would emerge as the winner in Tamil Nadu, another exit poll has given the DMK an edge over the Opposition in the election. Similarly, two exit polls on Kerala show different positions: CNN-IBN predicts a hung house for the first time in Kerala, whereas CB News-Cvoter has found the UDF sweeping the elections.

The counting for the election results of the four states (West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and Union Territory Pondicherry is expected to start on Friday, May 13.

In West Bengal all the exit-polls have declared Trinamool Congress as the winner. For the 294-Assembly seats, television channel CNN-IBN’s exit-poll has given Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress 222-234 seats and the Left 65-70 seats. The Star-Nielsen survey is projecting that TC may get 221 seats and Headlines Today has pegged TC at 210-220. The CVB News-Cvoter has placed TC at 227-235 seats and Left at 48-56.

Interestingly, in Kerala, which has always shown the incumbent the door, CNN-IBN has projected a hung house. According to its exit-poll the Left Democratic Front is placed at 69-77 seats and the United Democratic Front is kept at 63-71 seats. However, CVB News Cvoter feels the trend of reversing the governments would continue in Kerala with the LDF getting 49-57 and the UDF at 83-91.

In Tamil Nadu, CNN-IBN’s exit poll has given the AIADMK alliance 120-132 seats and the DMK alliance at 102-114 seats whereas the Headlines Today’s exit poll has kept DMK alliance at 115-130 and AIADMK at 105-120.

In the 126-Assembly seat Assam, according to CNN-IBN’s exit poll, the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government is expected to come back to power and get 64-72 seats. Meanwhile, CVB News-Cvoter projects a hung-house with the Congress getting 41-45 seats and the Assam United Development Front at 11-15 seats.